Awesome Resort

As first time travelers to Cuba with much advise from other frequent flyers we were more than skeptical of what to expect. Not only did this Royalton resort meet but it surpassed expectations on the all-inclusive experience being in Cuba. From the well maintained amenities to helpful staff, and great food options! The al la carte restaurants all had a variety of delicous options and will definetly be missing that antipasta bar at Grazzie. Great location and excursion options offered both through [... read more] sunwing and the butlers recommendations. All in all we were very pleased with our stay and would definetly recommend to anyone who wants to take their Cuba trip to the next level with this luxury adults only retreat!

Great resort - Supply chain issues in Cuba

Things to note - Vapes are illegal in Cuba - prepare to have them seized at the Airport when your arrive. Resort was great - staff were friendly - supply chain issues make every day a new adventure - some days they have things some days not. Internet is not available in the room - lobby bar and bistro cafe have repeaters - anywhere else is a blessing for line of site - something the resort needs to fix.

Not worth the money

3 fairly good restaurants, evening and lunch buffet awful. Breakfast was okay thanks to the wait staff, no bacon or fruit all week constantly run out of plates. The pool area was dull no entertainment. Grounds and buildings need maintenance and repairs. Check in was a major issue - never before seen anything like it - assigned butler what a joke.

Vacation Bliss !!!

It’s all about the people. We were made to feel welcomed right from the moment we stepped on the bus from the airport to hotel. Nothing was too much trouble for the team at the hotel. The Hotel was well run, clean and comfortable. Our Room was well appointed with easy to adjust air conditioning, clean and comfortable towels and linens. Regular serviced by friendly maids. The Entertainment was exactly what we wished for, high quality musicians, singers and dancers offering a good selecti [... read more]on of Cuban culture and music as well as international. We just loved the music and atmosphere in the bar in the evening. The food was tasty and plentiful. Just remember you are visiting a foreign country, food may be prepared, look and taste different. The Beach was beautiful and although we visited for 2 weeks ‘out of season’ the weather was bliss. Just be ready for ‘liquid sunshine’ falling from the sky a couple of days. On those days you can visit Havana or Varadero. We would recommend the catamaran day trip. Beautiful scenery, fun crew, just sad that the reefs were bleached with very few fish or coral. We look forward to returning!

Wonderful Resort!

What a beautiful resort. The grounds are pristine and very tropical - everything that you want from a Caribbean Resort. The beach is GORGEOUS! There is no reason to leave it. There is food at the beach. There is a bar at the beach. There are washrooms at the beach. We spent every day from 8am to 6pm at the beach. The water is GORGEOUS! Warm and the most beautiful blue. The resort is a great design, where everything is fairly close. It brings people together - without being too much.  [... read more]The food was good, and plentiful. Obviously there are a few 'hiccups'. The wifi is ok - mostly available in the common areas (not rooms). This wasn't bad for me as I need an excuse to not have my phone with me. The pools are just ok - but who cares when the beach is so beautiful. The people are amazing and certainly contribute to a great experience. This is my second Royalton resort - looking for my 3rd.

Very good resort

Hotel was very good , communication was not great. - we were not aware in advance , Hobie cat sale boats were only available if staff member accompanied you. Personally traveled there to use and enjoy on my own. - very difficult to find out daily activities - butler was non existent Positives : Room was great Food was best we have enjoyed in Cuba Beach great Service very good We would return if the Hobie Cats were available for customer use as i have enjoyed at all other Cuba resort [... read more]s and other Caribbean countries

An exceptional vaccation

I booked the stay to celebrate my wife birthday. Since first minute we feel a warm hospitality. Our butler Tolon did an amazing job in welcoming us, understanding our need , organizing our events. He is the best. Everyone gave to us the best service. I can say that was our best stay out of the 5 times we stayed in Cuba. We are much thankful to everyone who served us and made our vacation unforgettable. Neil the bistro waiter, Carlos the beach bar tender, and all the crew special thanks to  [... read more]all of you.

Simply Amazing!!

Royalton Hicacos is a wonderful Resort! We were welcomed at check in with a glass of wine then escorted to our room. As it was a birthday trip, the staff was aware and dinner was arranged by the hotel. The waiters poured wine and served cake, they cheered and celebrated with us in the international restaurant. The beach at the hotel is fantastic and the property is magnificent! It was a wonderful trip, we enjoyed every minute. We will be back!

Amazing resort in Varadero

Very nice and well maintained grounds Staff was extremely friendly. I will mention here just a few:Laurita, Barbara, Maria and Ana. Food was normal for Cuba, but the lack of AC in the buffet made eating unpleasant. AC in the room was all the time above 25 Celsius, which was at the limit for being comfortable.

Very nice!

We were pleasantly surprise with the beautiful room. The food at the Italian restaurant was amazing and was our favourite. The ice cream in a fresh made waffle cone was so good. All of the staff were so kind and pleasant. The diamond club was worth the extra. Nicer beach beds, good service on the beach, better liquors to choose from, also before booking inquire about the updated rooms. I read reviews about lots of mosquitoes and tasteless food. Not my experience, salt and pepper on every [... read more] table. Food was very nice without adding salt and pepper. Mangoes were delicious. Lacked in fresh vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers. No bugs or mosquitoes. Special shout out to Salsa who BBQs daily on the Diamond beach and Joey who puts the umbrellas up for you. Overall we had a wonderful time and would recommend this hotel to others.

Nice resort

The employees make this place great. Everyone was kind and quick to get us anything we needed(we tipped at pretty much every interaction) not sure if that had anything to do with it. The hotel is kept well but the pool is shallow and pretty dead in the day probably because of the amazing beach a few feet away. Food was tasty but lacked variety at the buffet. The a la cartes were good especially the Tex Mex and Italian. The only reason I would hesitate to go back to this resort would be the lack  [... read more]of a/c not sure if it was broken or just super low but we were sweating at every meal not very comfortable or relaxing. Also there isn’t much to do at night no casino, no sports/karaoke bar. There was a jazz bar but only had a pianist one of the nights otherwise it was silent not even playing music over the speakers. But all in all the drinks were strong, food was good and beach was beautiful we were not disappointed.

Returning guest warning!

Fantastic property but in need of urgent improvement in areas of the management, coordination & renovation. We used to come to this hotel during Sandals & it was our 11th time this year. When we arrived we couldn't get a room that we wanted & indicated during our booking with Trip Central back in February. The first room that we've got had a broken safe, no balcony screen & sunken bed/mattress on one side. The second room that we've got had no balcony screen (but they managed to bring one to [... read more] us), without 3 towels per person as it is standard in all hotels (but only 2 during our entire stay), had broken roof & a flood happened during a heavy rain. The food was basic in comparison to the previous years, lack of variety. Sunwing who apparently has some shares in this hotel as well, obviously doesn't care too much about addressing & fixing the current issues. Too bad for this fantastic property with great location & landscaping.

Royalton Hicacos is no longer a Gem or 5 star resort

The change in management of this hotel is hurting the historical reputation of this hotel. The Canadian management is inferior. It is all about the money .. in their pocket. They do not do anything for the traveler/guest. They have this ridiculous butler system that was incorporated a few years back. A butler is instructed to accommodate so many guest units. They hang around your unit in the morning, noon and night. They ask you if there is anything they can do for you, so you tell them, and the [... read more]y don't follow up with you. They don't get back to you .. because they don't care, but expect a tip at the end of your stay. A tip for doing what? We have been going to this resort for 11 years, but never again. It was better under the Sandals brand. Sandals was not broken, but Royalton is. Maybe when Sunwing completes its sale of aircraft to Westjet it may have a better influence on the management of this resort. What do Canadian companies know about managing resorts in Cuba. Absolutely nothing. They are like American companies, using the money model, and not the customer model. We requested a certain room in 2023 that we have preferred and obtained in the past. But not this year. We even had a second option that we did not get .. and we booked our trip 2 months ahead of time, like every other year. Look, this resort doesn't care about you and me. They care about the almighty dollar. We spoke with the so-called senior management and it's nothing more than lip service. As a loyal guest for many years we did not feel special in the least. Just another number. We have better things to do with our money than to give it to a management team that doesn't care. Sandals went beyond the call of duty for their guests, Royalton .. absolutely useless.

Great place to stay

This hotel is comparable to any in Europe south of France etc. grounds are exceptionally pretty and clean. The food is the best in Cuba however still needs a lot to be up to Canadian standards, the fruit and green salads were fresh and very nice. I would stay here any time.

4th time at Royalton Hicacos!

The Royalton is truly home away from home for us. Beautiful grounds on a beautiful beach. Warm friendly staff who want you to enjoy your time with them. Some rooms are updated and modern, some are in need of a refresh but you get that old Havana feeling. Food was pretty good considering the shortages they have to deal with. Go with an open mind, don’t expect perfection and you will love it. We did.

Great resort

Our room was not very nice but they are renovating rooms so ask for a new renovated room if you book. The beach was very beautiful and the sand was soft. Food overall was good, and some of the restaurant were excellent. The staff are friendly and helpful and always have a smile Ask for Diamond club if you want to have reservation at restaurant or book a suite with a butler

Great Animation Team!

This hotel was not full due to renovations in some areas. There are plenty of restaurants, however those guests who were not in the Diamond Club could not make reservations and therefore it was “first come, first served” to get into anything but the buffet. The buffet had good selections, you would not go hungry, however I felt the prepared trays were always only “luke warm”. There was a good selection of salad, sandwich ingredients and breakfast items available. The grounds were  [... read more]lovely and clean, the gardeners were very good. The beach was amazing. I still do not like the fact that people play the “towel game” to reserve palapa on the beach. This is not fair and should not be allowed. We were guests for two weeks and the beach BBQ became tedious as the menu was exactly the same every day. The animation team were wonderful - a really good group of people. We would especially like to acknowledge Veronica (morning yoga practice) along with all other games. Victor, Jimmy and Duran would did pool games, aqua fitness, Cuba day, Foam party, and nightly entertainment. The public area washrooms were clean, however, additional toilet paper was required many times and this should have been addressed. We enjoyed ourselves and would recommend this hotel. Wifi some days was “hit and/or miss” very slow.

LOVED IT! Highly Recommended.

This resort is close to paradise. Grounds are beautiful and take your breathe away every time you walk through the walkways. Flowers and greenery are all around you - above, below, along all the sidewalks - and kept meticulously. And at night, there is a rainbow of lights on the garden & water ways and it makes a beautifully warm & welcoming atmosphere. Our room was very comfortable. We had a ground floor unit with a de-humidifier which kept out any dampness often found in tropical ac [... read more]commodations. Very spacious suite - with King bed, large closet and separate living room/seating area - but hey - who stays in their room with so much to do on the resort? We always had hot water for showers and air conditioning worked as desired.Our deck had a beautiful garden view over looking a small private pool - however we spent most of time at the beach.One complaint - floors were not barefoot clean and we had to ask for a special cleaning. The beach area was perfect - soft, fine sand, a long walk-able (always clean) beach front with an water access that you could walk out forever - with sand bars and shallow waters for a great distance. And staff were always there to help with chairs, umbrellas, beverages. Staff at this resort are amazing - always willing to help/serve as best they can with what they have to work with. Very friendly and very accommodating.Only challenge is service at the main bar in the evenings - can be very slow getting a beverage. Food was good - and we had no problem walking away satisfied after every meal. Breads, rolls and cakes/breakfast sweets are homemade everyday. Their ice cream was a special treat and enjoyed almost every day. Yes, beef & potato dishes are very limited and there was no bacon, but food was prepared and presented with lots of choice. Plenty of fish, chicken, pork, rice dishes, eggs & ham; & salad fixings. The specialty restaurants had very tasty meals & we enjoyed everyone. Things like peanut butter, jams, relish and mayonnaise are not an available option, so if you want these items - best bring them from home. We also brought vinegar - there are french fries, hot dogs & hamburgers at the 24 hour booth. They do have ketchup and mustard. Warning - even with a converter - the 220 the hydro will blow out your hair dryer. There was a small hairdryer in our room. Entertainment - the 1st night was OK - and needed some additional practice (Cuban history) however all other presentations were very well done and the OPERA night & ROCK night were both exceptionally well done. Overall this Resort was GREAT and we would definitely recommend to any needing a reference - even though we have no other CUBAN resorts to compare to. After three years of no/limited travel it was so great to go where the surf, sun and accommodations were just what we needed. And as an added bonus, we made some really great friends while on vacation; and look forward to staying in touch once home.

Many returning guest hotel

My husband and I recently stayed at the Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa for 10 days and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were given a newly renovated suite style room in block 200 which was quite nice and a short walk to the Diamond Club private beach. We did spend a little more money for the Diamond Club treatment and it was worth it. We always got loungers at the private beach, had our own butler, received a free catamaran excursion, all our à la carte reservations were given to us on our fi [... read more]rst day. Many perks!!! We always had an abundance of food and a good variety at the main buffet. The staff was always very friendly and helpful. The beach was amazing, blue, turquoise water and many miles could be walked on that beach. We enjoyed the ice cream bar and the 24hrs snack bar. There was always live music at the bars and buffet. The nightly entertainment was good. The dancers were very talented but would have been nice if there had been more variety; not only dancing every night.

Royalton Hicacos continues to shine

The Royalton has experienced 4 difficult years since our last visit. Years in which COVID reduced tourism to a trickle and Cuba's income was hard hit. Nonetheless the Royalton came through it well and we were delighted to find the Resort little changed. The Grounds were in great shape, the Staff as willing to help as always, our Room the same as ever and the Restaurants well stocked. Some shortages sure but that was to be expected. In short - the Royalton lived up to it's diamond rating. We woul [... read more]d definitely recommend it to our friends and relations.